CSK limit Mumbai to below-par 149 in IPL final
Hyderabad, May 12: Chennai Super Kings dished out a disciplined bowling performance under pressure to restrict Mumbai Indians to 149 for eight in the IPL final here on Sunday.
After opting to bat, Mumbai ended up with a below-par total despite Kieron Pollard's unbeaten 25-ball 41.
Deepak Chahar (3/26) was impressive once again and so was fellow pacer Shardul Thakur (2/37). The spinners, Harbhajan Singh (0/27) and Imran Tahir (2/23), too played a crucial role in limiting Mumbai Indians.
Rohit Sharma-led side was dealing in sixes early on in their innings with the in-form de Kock collecting three sixes out of the four hit in the first three overs.
After a frugal first over, Chahar went for 20 runs in the following one with the South African wicket-keeper batsman going for his strokes on a true surface.
Thakur was not spared either as de Kock clobbered him over deep-midwicket for his fourth six before top-edging a short one to Dhoni in the same over.
All of a sudden, a promising start got converted into a wobbly one with Rohit getting caught behind off Chahar three balls later, leaving Mumbai at 45 for two in the sixth over. The Mumbai captain got deceived by a slower one but he still went for the drive, only to edge it to Dhoni.
It was a brilliant comeback from Chahar after being hit for 20 in his previous over and credit to Dhoni for bringing him back into the attack from the other end and keeping the faith in the team's most successful pacer this season.
With two new batsmen at the crease, the runs dried up before Ishan Kishan hit Dwayne Bravo for two boundaries to take Mumbai to 70 for two in 10 overs.
Just when it seemed Kishan and Qualifier 1 hero Suryakumar Yadav will produce a much needed partnership, two wickets falling in quick session for the second time in the innings, pegging Mumbai back.
Surykumar played on leggie Tahir before the new batsman, Krunal Pandya, was dismissed with a good running catch from Thakur off his own bowling.
It got worse for Mumbai when Kishan tried deposit a Tahir googly out of the park and his mis-hit went into the safe hands of Suresh Raina at cover, leaving Mumbai at 105 for two in 15 overs.
Two of the biggest hitters in the game, Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard, were in the middle to put life into the innings and take their team to a fighting total.
CSK, who had done most things right up till, gave a breather to Pandya as Raina dropped a regulation catch at cover. The dangerous Pandya made his opponents pay smashing Thakur for two sixes in the same over before getting out.
Pollard at the other end did not get enough strike in the death overs. He faced all six balls in the final over and did not take the single off the first three deliveries after not being able to clear the boundary.
He got the much needed fours off the final two balls but it was not enough spoil a tidy last over by Bravo.
The attendance at the neutral venue was fitting for a final with more than 32,000 fans turning up.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
